


At the Beginning with You

by nerdytardis



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Families of Choice, Fluff, Foggy Nelson & Karen Page Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Defenders, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 18:30:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12018546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdytardis/pseuds/nerdytardis
Summary: Matt and Foggy are getting married, which would be simple, if it wasn't for the fact that they are both over-thinking idiots who care about each other too much.Preparing for a wedding from both of their perspectives, with the help of some friends.





	At the Beginning with You

**Author's Note:**

> well, defenders kinda ruined me? and i needed something cute, so here we go  
> disclaimer: i talk about the events of the defenders finale a bunch, so there are spoilers!! and then one single low-key spoiler for next season, because it's from the comics
> 
> the title is from "at the beginning" from the movie/musical anastasia, and the fic is unbeta'd

The last time Foggy was in here, he had cried.

Tears had splattered wetly onto his cheeks, leaving salty trails that smeared across the back of his hand and across his face. 

Sitting a few pews from the back, he had sent up an awkward prayer.  Rusty and out of practice, even after all those years of Sunday school, he had hoped that the desperation of his words would make up for the uncertain fumbling. 

It had been a miserable night, at the end of a miserable week and at the beginning of a miserable time in his life. 

Since then, he just hadn’t been able to step back into the building.  Each cold stone, each flickering candle, reminded him of that night; of how his hope had been leaking out of him like blood from a gunshot, how his hands had shook when they were clasped in front of him, how his heart  had still broken at the lack of response.  

Even after Matt came back from the dead, Foggy couldn’t find the will to return.  Matt made his weekly, sometimes daily, trek to unburden his poor catholic conscious, while Foggy would twiddle his thumbs at the office or get them coffee across the street, trying not to think about the aching sense of loss he had been vainly trying to pray his way out of. 

Today, now, Foggy’s hand’s still shook, but for an entirely different reason.  He ran one through his hair in an attempt to hide the fact, which only made Marci pout at him. 

“I spend an hour on your hair and you go and ruin in it in a second,” she shook her head at him, and crossed her arms across his chest, “What am I going to do with you Foggy Bear?”

“What am I doing?”

Marci’s pout deepened, her perfect brows coming together, “What?”

Foggy looked up, at the vaulted ceiling above him, and let out a shaky breath, “What am I doing Marci?”

Her heels clacked on the hard floor, as she stepped up and put her hands on his shoulders, her fingernails digging in more than was probably necessary. 

“You,” she said, looking at him with her razor sharp gaze, “are getting married, and if you back out of this now, I will have you disbarred.”

“Gee, thanks.” Foggy said, letting out a huff despite himself, causing Marci to roll her eyes, “I’m so glad you care.”

“You can have cold feet all you want, but there is no way I’m letting you leave a blind man at the altar.” She pursed her lips, “That would be cold-hearted, even by my standards.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, bringing his hands up to both surrender and pry her nails from his suit jacket, “I’m not having second thoughts, I’m just—having thoughts.”

“How poetic.”

Now it was Foggy’s turn to roll his eyes.  “I—” he looked around like he might find his words hidden in a shadow along the wall, “I’m scared I’m going to lose him again.”

Marci stilled, her constant razor-sharp energy settling.  In her world, Matt had just gone missing for more than a month.  She hadn’t been there, didn’t have to watch as he was literally buried alive. 

But, she had seen Foggy’s life slowly unravel. 

She was there when he stayed out too late at a seedy bar, or missed a court date.  She had even been there, defending him when Hogarth decided that his growing lack of work ethic was not a desirable quality for the firm and let him go.

And, despite everything, she was still here; a fact Foggy would not have believed if the truth wasn’t staring at him. 

“Matt’s a good guy.” She said, her voice softer than normal, but still bossy in a familiar way that was comforting in its own right.  “He’s not going to duck away like that again.  He’s so head-over-heels for you, it’s gross.”

Foggy snorted, and Marci’s expression went back to its usual smirk.  “You’ll be fine.” She said, patting his arm.  “Now let me fix the mess you’ve made.”

Pulling a comb from her purse, she set about straightening Foggy’s hair, despite his protest, until there was a small knock on the door. 

“Are you ready?” Karen asked, peaking her head in around the door. 

Marci cut off Foggy with a sharp hand movement and said, “He’s ready.”

Karen looked to Foggy, her eyes questioning, and he smiled a little.  “I’m fine.”

Her good-humored questioning gone in an instant, Karen stepped fully into the room.  She walked up to him, her eyes crinkling as she looked at him closely.  Internally, Foggy started cursing her uncanny ability to read a situation. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, always to the point but never unkind.

“I’m—” he shook his head a little, and turned to Marci.  “Can you give us a minute?”

While her eyes widened a little, Marci just put up her hands and started for the door.  “I’ll find my seat.”

After the door closed behind her, and they were alone, Karen reached out and took one of his hands.  On instinct, he intertwined their fingers. 

“He’s just as scared as you are.” She said, steady and calm as ever, “More so even.  He’s seen, first hand, what can happen to the people he cares about.”

“It’s not that.” Foggy said, letting out a small sigh, “I’ve accepted the fact that being in Matt’s orbit is dangerous.  I just can’t stop thinking about the last time we were here, when he was—” Foggy looked at Karen directly, “when he was dead.  Karen we lost him once and I don’t know if I could get through that again.”

Karen pressed her lips together and watched him for a moment.  “None of us have any idea what’s going to happen in the future.  Matt may—or not.  He may retire tomorrow.  The firm could take off and you could become millionaires,” Foggy grinned appreciatively and Karen snorted, “Or not.  There’s no way to know.

“But you know what I do know?  That there’s a guy on the other side of this building—and that’s all it is Foggy, it’s just a place, a place that could represent anything you want it to—Matt’s over there, and he’s waiting for the person he loves so that they can get married.”

They stared at each other for a moment, Karen watching to make sure she had hit home and Foggy taking in how beautiful she was, how passionately she cared. 

“Thank you.” He said, wrapping her in a hug, “This whole city would have crashed and burned years ago if not for you.”

Karen smiled into his shoulder.  “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys.”  Pulling away, she blinked away a stray tear and met his eyes.  When Foggy nodded, an understanding passed between them and Karen broke into an infectious, blinding grin. 

“It’s really happening.” She said, bringing a hand to her face. 

“Yeah.” Foggy said, finally stepping away from her to run a hand over his suit.  “How do I look?”

Looking him over, Karen straightened his bowtie a little and nodded appreciatively, “Amazing, as always.”

“See,” Foggy pointed at her with a grin, “That’s why I always liked you Karen Page.”

“I thought you liked me for my coffee.”

Foggy made a gurgled noise, and Karen laughed, bright and sparkling.  “Okay, okay.  Fine.”  She started for the door, “Let’s get this show on the road.” 

\-- -- --

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I can’t do this.”

Claire rubbed the bridge of her nose and let out a long-suffering sigh.  “And why in the world not?”

“It’s too dangerous.” Matt was pacing back and forth, his tie loosened and his jacket laying over a chair.  “I thought I could—but I can’t put him in danger like this.” 

It was the thought that had been eating away at him for weeks, the black cloud of static that had slowly been building in the back of his mind.  Every night Matt went out, he would see the darkness that filled the city, the people who wanted to hurt others, and no matter how hard he tried not to, he’d think of Foggy.

Matt loved him, more than anyone.  They were meant to be together.  But like this?  In a way that would put Foggy in danger? 

“He’s the one that asked.  You do remember that, right?” Claire said. 

“But he doesn’t—”

Putting up both of her hands to stop him in his tracks, Claire said, “Foggy knows full well what he’s getting into and he has for a long time.”

Matt let out a shaky breath.  “But that’s what it’s like now.  What if someone finds out who I am?”

“Sure.” Claire said, finally walking up to Matt so she could look at him directly, “Maybe. _If._   All the things running through your head are worst case scenarios, none of which are going to happen.”

Matt shook his head.  “There’s no way to know that.”

“Yes,” Claire said, patiently, “There is.”

“How?” Matt blinked towards her.

“Well, first,” Claire started ticking off each point on her fingers as she went, “I know you, and you’d never let anything happen to him.” Matt started to protest, but Claire stopped him with a pointed shush, “And secondly, you have friends.  Some of them are even…special, and some of them are just people like me, but either way they are here to protect you guys.”

Matt could still feel the fear in him, the tense energy that made him want to sprint from the building and across a rooftop, but he also knew Claire was only telling the truth. 

“And right now, all those friends are patiently waiting for you to wise up and get out there.” Claire reached forward and began fixing his tie, “So you better get out of your own head and make yourself presentable.”

Blinking, Matt said, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.  I have no choice in the matter at this point.” Her words were harsh, but her tone was soft and warm.  Matt could hear the crinkled of skin that singled her smile and found that he was smiling too. 

She finished the tie and smoothed it down, her hair shifting as she looked up towards his face, “It’s going to be hard sometimes.  But it will be worth it.”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Matt said, smirking a little as she scuffed. 

“Making jokes now?” She said, turning back to the door, as he put his jacket back on, “You must be feeling better.”

Reaching forward, she pulled open the heavy old door a little and peaked out.  Matt could hear her call softly, “We good?”

Karen, across the hall whispered back, “We are.  How about you?”

Matt could hear Claire’s hair shift as she made a gesture with her head, “Now we are.”

There was a light laugh from Karen, and Matt heard her open the door more to let Foggy into the hall. 

“Well,” Claire said, turning back towards Matt, “Are you ready?”

There was a swell of warmth in Matt’s chest, even as his fingers nervously worked at the hem of his jacket.  Claire saw this and huffed good-naturedly.  “It’s okay to be nervous.  It’s normal, which I know is a foreign concept to you, but still.”

She reached forward and tugged on his jacket a little to draw him closer to the door.  “You love him right?”

Matt listened to Foggy as he stepped into the hall, everything about him, from his heartbeat, to his breathing, to the lingering smell of the Fruit Loops he had for breakfast, coming to Matt in familiar waves. 

Matt knew Foggy better than anyone, cared about him more than anything, and he—he was going to marry him right now if it was the last thing he did.

Claire was still tugging on him a little, and Matt smiled down at her.  “Of course.”

“Then get a move on, slowpoke.  You can’t be late to your own wedding.”

Finally grinning, Matt stepped forward and into the hall.  Claire gave him one last pat on the arm before she stepped away to take her seat.

The hall was now empty except Foggy, his heart rate elevated.

“Afraid I would miss it?” Matt said, his voice soft, trying to pass away a true fear with a slight smirk.

“No.” Foggy smiled, already reading exactly what was running through Matt’s head.  He walked halfway to Matt and bent his arm at the elbow, offering it towards him.

Matt met him and brought his hand to Foggy’s arm, as they’ve done for years.  For a moment, he took in all the details he could only get when he was this close, the heat of Foggy’s skin, the smell of shampoo and prickle of hair. 

“I love you.” He said, listening to the way Foggy’s heart rate still jumped a little at the phrase. 

“I love you.” Foggy echoed, his breath a soft breeze across Matt’s face. 

“Let’s get married.” Matt said, his world lighting up at Foggy’s laugh.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

\-- -- --

Foggy felt like he could soar; fly right up over everyone on nothing but fumes and happiness. 

It was a contagious sentiment, probably brought on my how goddamn cute Matt looked when he smiled.   

Even Jessica—who was sitting about as far back as she could, like a stray emotion might rub off on her if she sat too close to them—was smiling a little as they walked down the aisle side by side.  

There were only a few other people sitting in the pews.  Danny, who had let Claire bully him into wearing a suit, was next to Luke and Claire, while Marci had taken her own spot off to the side.  There was also Brett, and a smattering of people from the Nelson clan. 

At the end of the aisle was Father Lantom, waiting patiently for them to reach him. 

Then, of course, there was Karen.  Right in the front pew, she already had a handful of tissues in hand.  Maggie was right next to her, an impossible sight, even now.  Foggy could still barely even believe she was _alive_ let alone beaming happily at her son’s wedding. 

When they reached her, Matt stepped away a moment to wrap the smaller woman in a hug and Foggy felt tears begin to itch at the back of his eyes again.

The feeling only grew stronger as Matt turned back to him, and Foggy could see that the other man was beginning to tear up too. 

With a smile, he took Matt’s hand and let out a breath. 

The last time Foggy was here, he had cried, and he thought his world had been ending.

But now he knew that everything was just beginning. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! 
> 
> i'm also working on something that's post-defenders and quite a bit more angsty, so stay tuned if that's what you're into lmao


End file.
